From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— UnityPoint Health – Meriter has launched a pilot program aimed at improving sleep patterns for older adults in the hospital, with a broader goal of helping geriatric patients recover faster.
The hospital yesterday rolled out details for its Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders, or NICHE program, on a pilot unit at its Madison site. Its goals include reducing reliance on sleep medication and the incidence of falls at night, along with boosting patient sleep scores and addressing the psychological impact of hospitalization.
After five team leaders recently finished an eight-week course, the group began training registered nurses in geriatric resources and related care.
The program’s initial effort is focused on developing a 24-hour sleep protocol that’s meant to “align with patients’ natural circadian rhythms” and minimize sleep disruption related to staying in the hospital.
While day shift nurses focus on promoting mobility, such as ensuring patients sit up in a chair while eating and maintaining a bright environment, the evening shift prioritizes personalized sleep hygiene and reducing harsh blue light exposure along with red light therapy and providing melatonin.
Meanwhile, the night shift is “bundling” nursing care to reduce interruptions while keeping the patient environment dark and quiet, along with other changes aimed at improving sleep quality.
Yesterday’s announcement noted disrupted sleep for seniors in the hospital is “strongly linked” to greater risk of falls and longer hospital stays, along with hospital-acquired delirium, which can involve confusion and other behavior changes brought on by hospitalization.
See the release below.
— WEDC has signed an agreement with a French economic development agency aimed at boosting collaboration on shared key sectors, including health sciences and biotherapies.
Gov. Tony Evers yesterday announced the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has joined a memorandum of understanding with the Agence Économique Régionale of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France.
The MOU aims to “promote closer economic and educational relations” between the two government agencies, the guv’s office says, noting its focus on helping local businesses grow and exchanging expertise between Wisconsin and the BFC region.
Leaders of WEDC and Evers previously visited the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in 2025 during a trade mission hitting parts of France and Germany. Following the visit, the French regional agency established a formal relationship with Madison’s BioForward on biotherapies, and AER BFC President Arnaud Marthey says Evers’ visit last year was just a starting point.
“This MOU gives us the same kind of framework” for key sectors, Marthey said in a statement.
Meanwhile, BFC President Jérôme Durain says he plans to lead a delegation to Wisconsin and Chicago in October.
“I want us to leave with actual projects on the table, starting with biotherapies and agri-food,” he said in the release.
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